


I got your back

by localif3



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Donghyuck wants to help, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mark needs to rest, mentions of other members - Freeform, they're not couple but they're really close
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-07-01 13:36:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15775149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/localif3/pseuds/localif3
Summary: Mark left nct dorm to start living on his own and to focus completely on his entrance exams. But being an independent adult is not as easy as it might've seemed at the beginning.





	I got your back

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, i'm coming back to you with something more angsty this time. I had a mood to write something like this, so here we are. (long drabble/short one-shot)
> 
> Sorry for any mistakes, there are probably few. And I hope you'll enjoy it!

At first it was Chenle who moved out of the dream’s dormitory, but he has never really lived with them since the beginning. Apart from the promotion times of course. It was in their contract that they have to live in a dorm at least during promotion. This way it was easy to travel from one place to another and be on time, using only one car, not 7. When Mark became an adult he told his company that he would like to live alone. He had enough money to buy himself a small apartment and he had strong argumentation that he had been in need of space and privacy while preparing for entrance exams on university. And it actually worked, because sm ent said that it’s okay as long as he’ll be coming back on promotion. Mark was pleased with that answer.

At first he was spending only few hours in his new home and was almost always coming back to dorm at nights. He was telling Taeyong that he was feeling lonely and that he needed some relaxation from this whole studying, which was true. He sometimes felt like his head might explode. But he knew as well that he needed to get to the university. He wanted it so much.

After few weeks he came back to nct 127’s dorm because they were making a comeback. So for some time he needed to forget about studying. Because they had practices from dawn to dusk and sometimes he needed to sleep too. Even if only for few hours.

Their promotion lasted two weeks and then suddenly ended. But they didn’t disappeared for good, as other members had lots of work apart from group stuff, such as radio nights, mcing on music shows or guesting in various variety shows that Mark had never heard about before. But after all he was glad that finally he had some time for himself. And he was ready to use it as best as he could. Studying.

After some time he stopped coming back to dorm, saying something like “I’m too tired to ride a subway back to dorm” or “I’ve been studying till late, so there was no point in coming back after midnight” and so on. And others started to worry. Because, Mark has never actually lived alone before. They have been together since he was 12 and is he really ready to live by himself now?

Johnny had been visiting him few times a week, but he stopped after a while because he hadn't had that much time to do it so frequently. When hyungs had been asking Mark if he’s okay, he had been answering that he’s just tired or that he can’t speak because he’s studying. And everyone actually believed him, because they knew how difficult exams are. But no one was really aware what’s lying behind all of this. No one apart from one person.

 

“Hyuck, where are you going?” asked Taeil, seeing the youngest member, who was sneaking through their hall to the entrance. Donghyuck cursed under his nose. He was sure that at this time, it was past 11pm, everyone is lying in their own rooms, doing something so important that no one would notice that he had disappeared. He didn’t really think that someone would be sitting in their salon watching news. Of course, Taeil hyung.

“Nothing” he answered quickly, putting on his shoes. Maybe he would lost his interest in him and would back to watching news, and then he, without any problem, would sneak out of the dorm, he thought to himself. Unfortunately it wasn’t so easy.

“Don’t lie to me. I see that something’s going on” he said, as he stood up and approached the younger. Great, now he’ll need to explain everything, or think of some great, easy–buying lie. He didn’t have head for that right now. “Will you tell me, or I need to convene all members to convince you to do so?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“No no no, please hyung, I don’t want anyone to know” said Donghyuck. He looked so scared in that moment that Taeil started to worrying.

“Is everything okay?” he asked concerned. He held younger’s hand and leaded him on a coach where they sat down together. “Come on, you can tell me”

“But promise me, that you won’t tell anyone”

“You know I can’t promise this” Maybe Taeil was always presented as easy-going and funny guy, but deep down he was really caring, and if something bad was happening he was always trying to help. Or at least telling someone. He believed that asking for help was always the most rational thing to do. Donghyuck sighed.

“At least for now”

“Come one, tell me”

“It’s about Mark” he said quickly. He decided to tell the truth after all. From various reasons. But he was on pins and needles, wanting to get up and get out of the dorm as fast as possible. But Taeil was keeping him firm, waiting for some exact explanation “He rang me few minutes ago that he’s not feeling well and that he want me to come” he added.

“Maybe we need to tell someone else and go to him all together-“

“No!” he interrupted, and regretted it right after, because it was Taeil. He wasn’t supposed to shout at him. “I’m sorry hyung, it’s just…” he started. He was anxious, he didn’t really know what’s going on himself “He wanted me to come, not telling anyone about this.” He looked down, looking at his knees. “You know how Mark is. He keeps everything for himself, I’m just really worry about him. But I know that he won’t tell the truth when everyone are around him” Taeil nodded, of course he knew how Mark is, they’ve knew each other for a long time now.

“Okay, but call me as soon as you'll know something, otherwise I’m taking Johnny and Taeyong and we’re going for you” he said. They both got up and went to the hall. Donghyuck nodded, whispering quiet no problem and going out of the dorm.

 

He was in front of Mark’s door, leading to his apartment. He was only once there, during house-warming party few months ago and he didn’t really know why he hasn’t visited him since then. Mark was always saying that he had no time, or that it would be better meeting somewhere else as he hadn't cleaned recently or something. And after some time Donghyuck surmised that maybe something was going on in Mark’s life for a long now.

He didn’t know if he need to knock or if he could get in casually. He also didn’t know what to expect in elder’s apartment. After a while he decided to knock, but no one answered. However, the door was open so he slowly went inside.

“Mark? Are you here?” he asked, rebuking himself instantly because, of course he was there. Otherwise he wouldn’t have asked him to come. He went through the whole apartment looking for the latter. Every light was turned off and the blinds were lowered, so it was pretty hard to see anything.

Mark was sitting on his bed in bedroom. Donghyuck went in but didn’t turn the lights on. The darkness was mysterious and he believed that it would help Mark to tell what’s lying on his heart. Because he knew that there was something.

“Mark?” he sat down next to the other. Mark was looking at the window. It was the only one in the whole apartment which wasn’t curtained and they were able to observe the whole city from it. But it was night already, so the room was dark anyway. Donghyuck couldn’t see Mark’s face. Elder only nodded, as if Donghyuck had asked question if it’s really him. It was. Still.

“I tried to come as fast as I could, but Taeil hyung stopped me” he felt as Mark stiffed at the sound of his name “But don’t worry, he won’t come here.” Donghyuck added quickly, knowing that Mark would feel uneasy with the thought that someone else may come any time. They wouldn't. “So you can tell me everything.” He put his hand on Mark’s thigh, trying to comfort the other boy. He didn’t really know if it anyhow helped.

He heard as Mark sniffed. Was he crying? “I’m so tired with all of it” he said suddenly. His voice was quiet and he sounded tired. Donghyuck didn’t really know, what he was talking about. Were the exams difficult? Or maybe the practices for their comeback were exhausting? He didn’t know. “I guess that I’m a bit overworked.” He added.

“You know, recently I have so many things to do. One promotion, another one after a week, those fucking exams I won’t be able to pass because I don’t have enough time to study.” He sighed, finally looking at Donghyuck. His eyes were full of tears, and Hyuck could saw some dried ones on his cheeks. “I’ve been reading comments about me on naver and almost all of them were about me being so awesome. Hyuck, they’re thinking that I’m awesome because I’m doing so much. I’m actually doing so much, that their hopes are so high that I’m not able to reach them.”

He wiped his tears which were impeded him to talk correctly. “I guess that I’ll lose all my fans when they find out that I actually didn’t get to the university. They will think that I’m stupid and they will start to hate me, because who would like to have an idol who is too stupid to even pass some fucking exams. And because of that I’m studying so much that I can’t think about anything else.” He chuckled a little and pointed at open books which were lying on his desk and on the floor “And today manager told me that they’re going to put me in another nct unit because I’m so great that I must be there.” He was smiling but it was a sad smile and he sounded as everything around him was just a joke. “And I can’t even think about it, because you know. We have a comeback in a week, so I need to move again and then I won’t even have time to move back, because another promotion will start. I knew that being an idol is hard, but when I was in high school everything was so easy and right now I’m just so tired…” he sighed, stopping. There was a silence for a long until Donghyuck turned Mark in his direction, so that they were sitting face to face.

First thing which Donghyuck did was wiping Mark’s tears. Even though the new one appeared almost immediately. He put his hands on Mark’s cheeks and was holding his head firm, for older to look only at him.

“First of all” he started. He smiled slightly, wanting to cheer the older boy up “I’m really angry at you, that you didn’t tell me anything before. We are best friends after all” he said. Mark sniffed, smiling back and saying silent 'I’m sorry'. They were looking into each other eyes, not breaking the contact.

“Don’t be. In spite of all I should be sorry, for not noticing that you needed help” he wiped another tears. He was feeling sorry, because it should’ve been him, who noticed something. He should be the one to see that Mark was not okay. He would have probably never noticed anything, if Mark hadn’t called him today. As he said, they were best friends after all.“But right now, I know that it won’t change anything” he added after a while.

Mark was slowly calming down, as Donghyuck had been caressing his cheeks. He liked his touch, it was reassuring and was always making him feel better.

“I just think that I finally reached my limit, Hyuck”

“Don’t ever say that, Mark. You know that you’re amazing and every comment on naver, which was saying so is a pure true. You’re able to reach their hopes because you were always able to achieve your goals.” Donghyuck was talking calmly, accenting every word to reach Mark’s mind.

However he knew that boy didn’t need compliments, he had enough of them. He needed advices and people who would help him with his career. After all he was still young. “From now on, I want us to tell each other everything” he said “Because it’s the best way to relieve a stress. And I will help you with everything. Because being on your own makes you feel even more anxious about all of this” he added. And Mark smiled.

Maybe younger was right, maybe he was acting like this because he was keeping everything for himself? He needed to take some break but he didn’t have a courage to do so. “I got your back” Donghyuck added leaning on and giving him a small peck on a lips. Mark chuckled.

“Thanks a lot, Hyuck” he said after a while. He didn’t know why but he was feeling at peace while being with the younger. Finally after so many days he saw that light that gave him a hope that everything will be okay. It must be okay.


End file.
